Conversation Recap...

Last night we had another good "Conversations" evening with couples. It was a relaxing time to share and open up about marriage stuff (plus Melody made some incredible pumpkin pie!! with cool whip!!). We tackled the subject of "perseverance in marriage". What does it mean to persevere through challenging times, instead of retreating. What does biblical perseverance look like??

For those unable to attend, I wanted to post a basic framework for what we discussed...to give you an opportunity to have a "conversation" with your wife/husband/significant other...

A few quotes...--A character in Anne Tyler's novel A Patchwork Planet.-- This book's thirty year old narrator has gone through a divorce and now works at an occupation that has him relating almost exclusively with elderly people. As he observes their long-standing marriages, he comes to a profound understanding:
"I was beginning to suspect that it made no difference whether they'd married the right person. Finally, you're just with who you're with. You've signed on with her, put in half a century with her, grown to know her as well as you know yourself or even better, and she's become the right person. Or the only person, might be to the point. I wish someone had told me that earlier. I'd have hung on then; I swear I would. I never would have driven Natalie to leave me."

"Marriage is a long conversation."
--German philosopher Friedrich Nietzche

"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."
2 Thessalonians 3:5
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A few questions to ponder...
*As you look forward...2-3 years, what would you like your marriage to look like?
*What are you currently being challenged to persevere through?
*What typically keeps you from persevering?
*If you were to persevere through your "present-tense circumstance", how would that move you toward the marriage that you really want?